Fourth Best Cocktail Bar In UK Is In Hull

Cocktails. We’ve all had a good one, and we’ve all had a bad one. Back in my day, my first experience of a cocktail was a colourful liquid served in a fishbowl at the local Wetherspoons. But these days, a little bit older and a little bit wiser (debatable), I’ve learned that, in the right hands, a cocktail is a masterclass in alchemy — something to be admired. Especially when it comes to the official best cocktail bar in Yorkshire, according to the Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2026 list.

Based on votes from more than 200 expert bar operators, bartenders, drinks writers, suppliers and drinks specialists, the list is definitely a go-to for those who want an experience like no other this year. And, after this wet start to the year, you’d be silly not to want to wet your whistle.

Brain Jar in Hull’s Old Town was crowned the best cocktail bar in Yorkshire for 2026 and the fourth best in the whole of the UK. It was beaten to the top spot by Satan’s Whiskers in London (3rd), Bar Glue in Liverpool (2nd) and Couch in Stirchley, Birmingham (1st).

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We’ve been shouting about Brain Jar for years, first noticing the place through their quirky videos promoting the Sunday pub quizzes, which caught our eye. The laid-back environment might look like it’s been thrown together, but the aesthetic is something other bars would try hard to mimic and fail. The cocktails are crafted with a level of thought and precision we’ve rarely experienced before. Matty, the bar manager, brings such enthusiasm to his craft that it’s hard not to get swept up in it. We could talk about different types of ice and techniques for hours, and he’d happily oblige.

Top 50 says Brain Jar’s goal ‘is to create a “third place” between work and home which encourages “conversation, the interaction of differing ideas, and a proactive approach to tackling the challenges”‘

Top 50 said of Brain Jar’s cocktail offer: “But the real innovation takes place on the Seasonal section of the menu with drinks such as a Mushroom Old Fashioned made with shiitake mushroom infused Toki Whiskey, Amontillado sherry, milk washed miso & white chocolate mushroom and the Tarot Cake with Absolut Vanil Vodka, Pedro Ximinez, Allspice Dram, Dry Curacao, carrot, lime and cream cheese frosting.

“The house favourites are also a delight with the Salty Russian, made with Stoli salted caramel vodka, Kahlua, whole milk, cream and Stoopwafel and the Rainbow Juice with Absolute Vanilia Vodka, Limoncello Di Capri, banana, strawberry, lemon and soda.”

Posting to their socials, the Brain Jar lot wrote: “For years we have looked on at Top 50, feeling too far from the big cities to be noticed. So we can’t quite believe this, we genuinely thought it may have been a clerical error. Big up the North ✊🏻

“Thank you to our industry peers for welcoming us, and we would love to welcome as many of you back through our doorway in Old Town soon ❤️”